Lively Disrespect
by SLOTTED PIG NINJA
Summary: We believe in lively disrespect for most forms of authority. With the Jounin exams coming up, there's little room for anything but training for the infamous Konoha 11, but what happens when the Akatsuki, as well as Orochimaru, are on the loose?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: so just some background info about the story. It takes place during Shippuden, so Sasuke has left, and all that good stuff. I always thought that once you are a Chunin, you don't really have a set team, but usually go on missions with your three man team, so that's why I refer to 'old team' and such. Oh, and Neji isn't a Jounin anymore, nobody is, just part of the story. There will be some oc's soon, but not in this chapter. Anyway, I just wanted to give you the heads up. Ahah…eh… They will be here just to make the story more…interesting, so if it gets of to a slow start for you, don't worry! Please review and tell me what you think. Love you all!**

**Disclaimer: …No, I don't own Naruto… **

**Chapter one:**

Bright an early, the perfect conditions for an early morning training session with his old team. He could just smell the youth in the air: the wet dewy grass, the birds chirping away at each other. Yup, it was definitely the springtime of youth.

It was a shame that none of Gai's former students, excluding Lee, particularly liked these training conditions. The sticky morning dew soaked through Tenten's sandals the way she hated, and she could tell Neji was finding the bird's chirping annoying as well.

They had been training for hours on end, it seemed, she couldn't take much more. Her fairly new gloves were beginning to wear and small holes were forming at the tips. The leather had rubbing against her hands was making her skin raw. If she kept this up she would bleed through them soon, and have to get a new pair. How much more of this excruciating work could her physical being take?

"Alright that's enough," Gai's unmistakable voice penetrated the barrier of silence.

"Thank God!" Tenten gasped, sinking down to the wet ground.

"Five hours until we continue! Use your time well my youthful students!" The goofy man dismissed himself just as Lee had finished saying, "Of course, Gai-Sensei!"

"Out of all the Sensei's out there, we just _had_ to get the crazy one that's obsessed with youth," sighed Tenten. A five hour brake maybe she and Neji…, "Hey Neji, ya wanna, ya know, go do some—"

"I'm busy today. I don't have time," Neji said as he turned to leave the training grounds.

"Oh…I see…maybe another time then, okay?" Tenten knew she would not get an answer from the solemn Hyuga as she too left the grounds. It was almost the same routine every day. She couldn't help but dream though. One of these days, Neji would say "sure, Tenten, where would you like to go?" or "sure, that sounds nice". Tenten sighed. At least she wasn't the only one with boy related troubles. Hinata, Sakura, and even Ino all had their own share of boy problems.

"Tenten, over here!" Tenten caught a glance of a waving Sakura sitting with Ino and Hinata around a circular bench table near a mini-sushi bar.

"Hey guys," Tenten said as she sat down next to Sakura. "What's up? Any luck today?"

"Probably just as much as you had," snorted Ino, "Neji blow you off again?"

Tenten blushed a little, but managed a snide "How'd you know?" in reply. "Honestly, I think he's worse than Shino! I mean, talk about anti-social. He never has 'time' for anyone! I wonder what he does anyway…but what's the point?" She wasn't sad or teary eyed, Tenten was frustrated. How could anyone be so self-centered? Neji never did anything with anyone, ever, except for missions with the old team. It was ridiculous, and she wanted a change in her life for once; a change where Neji was a part of her social life, and not just her ninja life.

"Calm down Tenten, I'm sure he'll realize he likes you someday, it's not completely hopeless," said Sakura.

"Gee, Thanks."

The four girls sighed in unison, all thinking the same thing: Boys are hopeless.

"Well anyway," Ino said eager to change the subject, "I hear that Gaara is coming for the Chunin exams with Temari! Oh…and Kankuro too."

"Oh my gosh, the Chunin exams! Those were the good 'ol days, huh?"

"Ummm…Sakura, Hello, we've been Chunin for like a year. It's not like it's been an eternity or anything…" Tenten said.

Ino snickered a bit. "We just _have_ to go see those exams."

"Huh? Why?" Tenten said, somewhat confused.

"Because…Shikamaru…is the exam Procter!" Ino burst out laughing. "One of them, anyway.

"Shikamaru?? An exam Procter??" exclaimed Sakura. "That has got to be one of the most ironic mismatches _ever_!"

The girls couldn't subside their laughter for more than a few seconds. Soon they were all laughing, and had forgotten about their love affairs. One boy, however, was distracted by the laughter as he was making his way to his favorite ramen shop.

"Hey Sakura!" came the loud, obnoxious voice of Naruto Uzumaki. "What's so funny? Mind if I join you guys?" The girls cringed at the sound of his unbearable tone as he squeezed into the tiny space between Tenten and Sakura.

Sakura was rather annoyed by the boy's presence. Could he not see there was absolutely no room for him? For God's sake, their butt cheeks were touching _before_ he decided to join them.

"Hey, Naruto?" Sakura broke the silence.

"Hmmmm…?"

Sakura tried not to sound like a complete bitch, she could at least let Naruto know nice and easy that he wasn't welcome at the table. "I'm sorry, but you really can't join us. I mean…uh…well…Lee!" she caught a glimpse of the green bodysuit sitting at a similar table not far away. "I mean, Lee already asked to sit here, and well, it would be rude to tell him he couldn't and then let you sit here. Besides, there's not enough _room_ for all five of us."

"Aw come on! I'm way cooler—and better looking—than Bushy Brow and he knows it! He'd totally understand if you let my sit with you guys!" Naruto said, completely misinterpreting Sakura.

That was it.

"NARUTO YOU IDIOT! I SAID NO, AND I MEANT NO!!" Sakura landed a powerful blow on Naruto's left cheek, sending him skidding across the ground, right beside another table where Shikamaru Nara's face looked down at him.

"You idiot."

"You definitely don't know how to deal with women," Kiba Inuzuka snickered, who also sat at the table.

"Either that or he's going after the wrong one," Chouji said as he munched on some of his special potato chips.

"God Sakura, you are so lucky!" whined Tenten back at the girls' table. "You have _at least_ two guys after you! How can you blow them off so easily?"

"Simple. If we're thinking of the same guys here. One is _Naruto_, and the other is _Lee_. Would you go out with them Tenten? Besides, Hinata absolutely adores Naruto, what kind of friend would I be if I decided to go on a date with him?"

"Well sure," Ino said with a tight smirk, "but what about Lee? You could at least give _him_ a chance."

"Please, Lee?" Sakura sounded a little disgusted at the thought of her and Lee being together. "Have you any of you actually taken time to _look _at Lee? He has no fashion sense, is obsessed with youth, and has huge eyebrows!"

"Well, Lee would do anything for you, Sakura. What else do you really need?" Hinata said.

Sakura let out a sigh. Why did they keep insisting she go out with Lee? The only one she ever wanted was Sasuke, and he left her. It just seemed weird to like anyone else, she still felt devoted to Sasuke. She was going to save him one day, and he would feel passionate towards her; the passion she had felt for him so long ago, and still felt for him. "Well, you can argue that. I guess he's just…not my type." This didn't satisfy any of the girls, Sakura could tell by the looks she was getting. "Okay, okay! Maybe, just _maybe_, I'll go on one date with Lee, or anyone else who might ask me out—except Naruto," she added for Hinata's sake. "Oh, and by the way Tenten, it's a _blast_ having all these guys 'after me'!" The kunoichi laughed as Sakura threw bits of her lunch at the boys' table.

"Ouch. What are they doing over there?" Shikamaru wondered, as a small walnut hit him on the side of the head.

"Looks like they're leaving now." Chouji observed. He was right, as soon as Sakura hit Shikamaru in the head, the girls decided to leave. They weren't really in the mood to get into a food fight, especially with Naruto. They had finished their food long ago anyway.

"Whatever," Shikamaru replied lamely.

"Hey Nara, just thought I'd give you a heads up," Kiba announced, "that Temari's gonna be here within the next couple of days."

"So, what have I got to do with her?"

"Well, I'm just saying. I wouldn't be surprised if the fifth picked you to be her and her brother's guide. You have a _history _with the sand village, right?" Chouji was snickering all the while Kiba explained his theory.

"Whatever, I'm already an exam Procter. Why the hell would I get picked for two baby sitting jobs? Tsunade knows I need my relaxation time—"

"Shikamaru, there you are!" Asuma had cut him off. "The fifth would like to have a word with you. I think it's about the Kazekage."

Shika glared at Kiba as he slowly made his way out of the restaurant, and headed in the direction of the Kage's mansion.

"_Why the hell is it always _me_?" _he thought to himself.

**A/N: poor, poor Shika. I don't hate Lee, just to let you guys know, I absolutely love him!! :D At soccer practice the other day, I got like 50 mosquito bites, no joke. 29 on one leg XD. I'm trying my best not to scratch. R&R my lovely readers! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Soooooo here's chapter two : enjoy! I hope it's more exciting than the last chapter, tell me what you think! 3 **

**Disclaimer: it would be really cool if I owned Naruto. Too bad I don't. **

**Chapter Two: **

"Sounds like you're training your team hard, Gai," Kurenai said as she took a sip of tea. "That probably means I should be pushing my team hard as well. She heaved a sigh. It wouldn't be much longer now until she got a new team.

"Not necessarily Kurenai," Kakashi interrupted her thoughts, "Only if you are thinking about entering them this year. You could always wait a couple of years."

"I suppose, but if they found out I held them back they'd be furious. Especially Kiba. Besides, I do believe they will make a good impression."

"I wish I could say the same for my team," Asuma said, lighting a cigarette.

"Oh?"

"Sure they have plenty of talent," Asuma explained. "What they need is a leader."

"What about, Shikamaru?" Gai asked blankly.

""He's so damn lazy; I don't know what to do with him. He has the brains, just not the motivation.

"Yea, we've all heard that before," Anko piped in.

An awkward silence fell upon the Jounin. Something was wrong. It seemed the tea left them with a bad feeling in their stomachs, yet, it wasn't the tea. Perhaps it was the thought that soon, all their students would be gone, and they'd get new sad excuses for students. Kurenai especially didn't like the thought of letting go.

"Do you—"

Genma was caught off guard by a large crash that came from somewhere nearby. "What the hell…?" he muttered as all the Sensei flooded out of the shop in the direction of the accident.

"Oi, look up ahead." Anko said to the rest of the group. Two walls from a souvenir shop were in pieces. "Looks like somebody went through this end," Anko said as she stepped through the rubble, "and out that end." She nodded her head to the other side.

Rushing to the other surface, she discovered something else. Behind the shop there were deep cracks in the concrete wall of the neighboring shop. "It looks as if they went into this wall after going through the shop walls, but just got up…and left…" She turned to address an older man hiding in the corner. "What happened here?" The man was in shock, he just pointed from one wall to the next speechless. "I need you to tell me what happened here! We could be under attack! Why won't you speak?"

"Calm down Anko," Kakashi ordered Kurenai. "I'm sure we're not under attack. Look over there."

Anko, along with the rest of the Jounin looked in the direction Kakashi had pointed out. "No…way…"

What used to be wall surrounding Konoha was a puncture hole. "What…the hell…happened?" Kurenai let out. "That would have to be one hell of a left hook…"

"I don't know," Kakashi said under his breath, "But we best find out."

"Let me handle this Kakashi," Gai said in his nice guy pose, his pompous grin showing his shiny white teeth. "I'm sure it's no big deal. I have this one covered." With that Gai was off, before Kakashi, or any of the other Jounin, had a chance to stop him.

"He's going the opposite direction of the blood trail…are you sure we should let him 'handle this'?" Kurenai said doubtfully.

"ehhh…he'll be alright," Genma said. "We should start cleaning this mess up."

"Oh, that reminds me, I have a hair appointment, sorry guys," Anko hurried off. She made messes, she didn't clean them up.

"Yeah…I have…training soon…" Asuma excused himself

"Dido." Kurenai hurried after Asuma.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me Kakashi," Genma looked over his shoulder, expecting to see his peer already cleaning up. He was gone. "What the hell? What is this? Whatever." Genma decided to leave as well, the shop keeper could handle it with assistance from his staff.

"Wait a second Tenten; isn't a five hour brake a little _long_ for you? Why are you complaining?" Ino demanded, interrupting Tenten complaints about her intense training.

She actually scowled at the thought. However, Ino was right; usually a three hour brake was sufficient for Gai. "Yea, I guess it is long, but it's still strenuous training. He makes us go for like five hours strait!"

"That's kinda interesting. I wonder if there's anything wrong with Gai." Sakura pondered.

"Well, if you think about it," Ino started, "I wonder why he gave you an extra hour or two. It could be really interesting. The reason, I mean. What if he has like, a _girlfriend_ or something."

Hinata giggled. "Yes, maybe. But do you honestly know anyone who would go out with Gai-Sensei? It's a rather far-fetched idea, don't you think?"

"Well I don't know anyone," Tenten said as the girls started to laugh. "He probably just needed a longer break like me, Neji, and Lee!"

"Oh please, the man who invented the 'springtime of youth' needs a brake? _That _seems rather far-fetched," Ino snorted.

"Yea, but Gai having a girl friend? That's like you going out with Chouji, Ino," Sakura pointed out as Hinata and Tenten chuckled.

"True, true. I guess it doesn't really matter anyway. Just thought it would put a little…_spice_ in his life, or something."

"Hah. That man has a little _too much_ spice in his life. Oh look, there's Neji! I should go talk to him!" Tenten squealed with excitement. "C'mon, let's head that way."

"Wait!" hissed Ino. "If you're going to do this, you have to do it smoothly."

"Uh…smoothly?"

"Yes, smoothly. Go over there and pretend you're looking at flowers, like you don't even notice him. Act startled if he talks to you. Whatever you do, don't act desperate!" Ino shoved her toward the vegetable and flower stand.

As Tenten observed flowers near by, she noticed that Neji had picked a bouquet full of beautiful roses, tulips, and various other flowers of all colors. Tenten couldn't help but wonder who they were for. She pretended to take notice in a group of snap dragons near Neji. Maybe she could read the tag without him noticing.

It was at this moment that Neji noticed Tenten. At first he thought she was a huge, beautiful flower, but of course he shook the silly thought away. Tenten? A flower? How ridiculous. Although Lee was always telling him that she was the prettiest girl in Konoha, besides Sakura of course (Too bad poor Neji was unaware that Lee knew Tenten's feelings for Neji. **A/N: BAD LEE!** **.** )

"Hello Tenten." Neji's own words surprised him, let alone Tenten.

"Uh…He-hello Neji! You surprised me; I didn't see you standing there."

"I'm sorry to have…startled you," Neji was back to his normal tone, but still felt uneasy. What was this queasiness about him?

"Oh, it's quite alright," Tenten replied. _"Quite alright"? Who am I, Marry Poppins?_ She thought with a nervous smile.

"Well, I best be off…" Neji said as he walked up to the cashier.

"Wait! Well…I mean…so who are those flowers for, Neji?" Tenten asked shyly. She mentally slapped herself, she wasn't supposed to sound desperate, why'd she have to ask about the stupid flowers?

"Just a special...friend," he said quietly as he paid the young man at the register and made his way out of the maze of bushes, trees, and flowers.

"A special friend?" questioned Tenten, following him through the network of plants. "Is it anyone I know?"

"Not personally, no. But I don't want to be late; she's fanatical about being on time."

"She? Are you positive I haven't met her, Neji? Maybe I could meet her before our evening session of trai—"

"I'd rather meet her alone Tenten."

"Oh…okay. Yes I see." Tenten looked down at her feet. "Well Neji, I hope you have a good time, with your girlfrie—"

"There you two are!" The joyous voice of Lee interrupted Tenten. "I have great-well, actually horrible news!" Lee's face suddenly dropped. "Gai-Sensei has cancelled our evening training session for today, and he also says that our session tomorrow will not start until two thirty. I have just realized how horrible this is! What will I do until two thirty tomorrow?"

"I don't know Lee. Now if you'll excuse me," Neji said spitefully as he left his teammates behind.

"But…oh Neji," Tenten said half-hearted. "Great timing Lee," Tenten said as she gave the innocent boy a dirty look and headed back toward her friends.

**A/N: end of chapter two. My mosquito bites are doing better, they don't itch as much anymore! Soccer tryouts this week. Meh…I'll make the team no prob. Just bored this week. There's actually not a lot to do during the summer, yet there's too much stuff to do when school starts! Help me XD Please review my duckies. Yes. Your duckies now. Deal with it 3**


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